Renowned two-time world heavyweight boxing champion and successful businessman George Foreman has died at the age of 76.
According to his family, George Foreman passed away peacefully on March 21, 2025, surrounded by his loved ones.
“With profound sorrow, we announce the passing of our beloved George Edward Foreman Sr., who peacefully departed on March 21, 2025, surrounded by loved ones.
“We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers, and kindly ask for privacy as we honor the extraordinary life of a man we were blessed to call our own,” his family said in a statement posted on the boxer’s official Instagram page.
Foreman, born in 1949 in Houston, Texas, overcame a tough childhood and found his passion for boxing through the Job Corps program.
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“At 13 years old, George was about 6-foot-2, 200 pounds and the terrorist in the neighbourhood.
“And when you’re bigger and stronger and think you’re better than everyone else, you take things,” his younger brother Roy told the BBC in 2024.
Foreman’s exceptional athletic ability was highlighted by his gold medal victory at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.
Just days after Tommie Smith and John Carlos gave their famous Black Power salute, he dominated his way to the super-heavyweight gold at the age of 19, waving an American flag in the ring.
Known as “Big George,” he was a formidable presence in the heavyweight class, standing at 6′ 4 (1.93m).
His incredible power and agility helped him swiftly climb the professional ranks. In 1973, he claimed the heavyweight title by defeating Joe Frazier in just two rounds.
By October 1974, when Foreman defended his title against Muhammad Ali in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), he had an unblemished 40-0 record.
Ali’s legendary “rope-a-dope” tactic drained Foreman, and in the eighth round, a fatigued Foreman was defeated.
“I just couldn’t believe I’d lost the world title.
“It was the most embarrassing moment of my life. It went from pride to pity. That’s devastating,” he later admitted.
Following a points loss to Jimmy Young in 1977, Foreman fell ill and had what he later described as a divine revelation. Believing he had a higher purpose, he retired at 28 and became an ordained minister.
Ten years later, when he needed money for his youth centre, Foreman made an unexpected return. He was written off as a sideshow since he was heavier and bald, but he proved his detractors wrong.
In the following three years, Foreman fought 21 times, mostly against less challenging opponents, winning all but one by knockout.
Foreman lost to Evander Holyfield on points when he challenged him for the heavyweight title in 1991. He lost another decision to Tommy Morrison two years later.
In November 1994, wearing the same shorts he had worn 20 years earlier in his fight against Ali, Foreman shocked the world.
At 45 years and 299 days old, he overcame a significant deficit to defeat Michael Moorer in the tenth round and regain the heavyweight title, becoming the oldest heavyweight champion in history.
Though Foreman was eventually stripped of his WBA and IBF titles for not facing mandatory challengers, he continued to hold the status of ‘lineal’ world champion.
Foreman continued his boxing career until 1997, with his final loss coming against Shannon Briggs at the age of 48. He retired with an impressive record of 76 wins and 5 losses, including 68 knockouts.
With his most well-known role as the face of the George Foreman Grill, which sold over 100 million units worldwide, Foreman made a smooth transition from sports star to businessman.
Beyond boxing, his charisma and friendliness in commercials made him a household brand.
A dedicated preacher, Foreman hosted the 1996 TV show Bad Dads, which highlighted the significance of fatherhood. He was married four times and fathered 12 children.
Foreman named all five of his sons George Edward Foreman, explaining, “If one of us goes up, then we all go up together, and if one goes down, we all go down together!”
Foreman’s influence on boxing and other sports will never be erased.
His life was one of victory, atonement, and rebirth; he was a two-time heavyweight champion, an Olympic gold medallist, a preacher, an entrepreneur, and a devoted family man.
His reputation as one of the greatest heavyweights of all time endures despite the world’s grief over his demise.
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